The “#MyDubai Trip” is a social travel series that documents the journey of some of the most influential Instagrammers from around the world as they experience Dubai.

The twist? Their itineraries are thoughtfully curated and crowd-sourced from several of Dubai’s renowned social media personalities.

Peeta Planet is an international, award-winning travel series broadcast to 50 million TV viewers across the Middle East. It is a travel series about two brothers from the United Arab Emirates who visit countries across the world, with their journeys being destined by recommendations made on social media. With this being the first time the model of social travel has been applied to their homes city.

Rather than treading the tired, overdone tourist trails, brothers Mohamed and Peyman Parham Al Awadhi interact with their social media community to practice “social travel”, travelling through the eyes of local people. The creators and hosts are enthusiastic about the “#MyDubai Trip” series as it draws upon local knowledge and aims to transform residents of Dubai into advocates of tourism for their city. Leveraging Peeta Planet’s expertise in social travel, the brothers will use social media channels to crowd-source daily itineraries for the series, based on what a local resident would recommend for incoming visitors.

50 itineraries will be curated by residents of Dubai, who are prominent across social media, within their respective industries of fashion, food, sports, culture and entrepreneurship. The itineraries will be posted on Peeta Planet’s Facebook page with the general public asked to vote for their favourite. The 12 most voted itineraries will then each be filmed as one episode of Peeta Planet’s “#MyDubai Trip” series. Joining Mohamed and Peyman on the “#MyDubai Trip” film series will be 12 globally prominent Instagram users, chosen by another public vote.

Issam Kazim, Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM) said: “Getting local insights into a destination’s hidden gems and must-do activities is something that global travellers are increasingly looking for whenever and wherever they travel. By using social media to share our #MyDubai stories – as encouraged by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council – we can let the world know much more about Dubai. We can share the breadth and wealth of our activities, the diversity of our destination offering, our unique culture and heritage, and spirit of true hospitality. By working with local ‘insiders’, international instragrammers and the Peeta Planet team, we can create content that reaches all four corners of the globe and encourages visitors to experience a side of our city that may be unfamiliar and unexpected. We’re very excited about what we’ll see and where we’ll go on ‘The #MyDubai Trip’”.

Launched in January 2014 by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, #MyDubai aims to create an autobiography for the emirate of Dubai, through social media. With over 1.34 million Instagram submissions of photos and videos to date, the #MyDubai initiative tells an interactive human story of residents and visitors to Dubai. The intention is to celebrate the everyday lives of the people and communities of the Emirate and show the city that is beneath the landmarks, headlines and superlatives.

Fully reliant on social media to determine the itinerary for their travels, Mohamed and Peyman are no strangers to the benefits of crowdsourcing. This expertise and know-how will be leveraged and put to the test as they explore their hometown with the “#MyDubai Trip” series.

“We believe that a city is defined by its people and their hospitality” said Mohamed Al Awadhi. “We want to create a sense of ownership and pride, empowering our community to take on the cause of promoting Dubai as local advocates. “The #MyDubai Trip” series will serve as a focal point for meaningful, fun and heartening activities to experience in Dubai, regardless of whether you are a resident or a visitor.”

Also joining Mohamed and Peyman are their brothers Marwan (DJ Bliss) and Ehsan Parham Al Awadhi, well-known personalities in the UAE entertainment industry as a DJ/presenter and filmmaker respectively.

The “#MyDubai Trip” series will be filmed in September and October 2014 and scheduled for online broadcast between November 2014 and January 2015. All 50 pre-selected itineraries will be available online for local and international tourism purposes, both during and after the “#MyDubai Trip” series is broadcast.

The “#MyDubai Trip” series will feature some of the most influential Instagrammers from around the world, following crowd-sourced itineraries which showcase Dubai’s attractions as selected by residents

In order to get involved in the crowd-sourcing process, please visit the following website to follow the “MyDubai Trip”: www.facebook.com/peetaplanet

About #MyDubai:

The #MyDubai initiative was created by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, with a request for residents and visitors to join him in sharing photos, videos and stories on social media and show their experiences of Dubai. The intention is to celebrate the everyday lives of the people and communities of the Emirate and show the city that is beneath the landmarks, headlines and superlatives.

The contributions will be shared across social media platforms and in other forms of creative media such as exhibitions and art installations. Launching the initiative, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan said: “A city’s story is created by its people and it’s time to join together and show the world how 2.1 million people can create one remarkable story: together we will create the world’s first autobiography of a city.” A selection of contributions can be seen @MyDubai on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

About Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM):

With the ultimate vision of positioning Dubai as the world’s leading tourism destination and commercial hub, Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing’s (DTCM) mission is to increase the awareness of Dubai to global audiences and to attract tourists and inward investment into the Emirate.

DTCM is the principal authority for the planning, supervision, development and marketing of Dubai’s tourism sector; markets and promotes the Emirate’s commerce sector; and is responsible for the licensing and classification of all tourism services, including hotels, tour operators and travel agents. Brands and departments within the DTCM portfolio include Dubai Convention and Events Bureau, Dubai Calendar, and Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (formerly known as Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment). In addition to its headquarters in Dubai, DTCM operates 20 offices worldwide.

Peeta Planet is an award-winning, groundbreaking, hybrid TV-web (“social TV”) travel show that does things a bit differently. This involves avoiding tourist attractions and guidebooks, opting instead for a more authentic experience, exploring and encouraging social travel and discovering the cities through the lens and know-how of the locals. Peeta Planet is produced and hosted by kandourah-clad Emirati brothers Mohamed and Peyman Parham Al Awadhi, and directed by the half a million strong “Peeta Pilots”, steering the show on social media from around the globe. Peeta Planet is broadcasted by Dubai One TV, and produced in partnership with the InterContinental Hotels & Resorts Group, and Google.

About QABEELA NEW MEDIA:

Qabeela New Media is a UAE-based production company founded by Emirati brothers Mohamed and Peyman Parham Al Awadhi. Peeta Planet is their first television production.